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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701094">Not Ready Yet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystcarnelian/pseuds/amethystcarnelian'>amethystcarnelian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Data sits by his bedside and thinks about the two of them, Geordi is in a coma, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:40:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>942</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701094</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystcarnelian/pseuds/amethystcarnelian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Sickbay was silent apart from the beeping of monitors, and the thrum of the warp core so many decks below. Data did not move, did not make a sound. He sat, and he held Geordi's hand, having nothing else he could do."</p>
<p>Data thinks about his relationship with Geordi while he waits for him to wake up</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Data/Geordi La Forge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Not Ready Yet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sickbay was silent apart from the beeping of monitors, and the thrum of the warp core so many decks below. Data did not move, did not make a sound. He sat, and he held Geordi's hand, having nothing else he could do.</p>
<p>Neural shock. Dr Crusher had done her best, her best being among the very best in the galaxy, but all that could be done now was wait. Objectively, Data knew that the odds of recovery were not good. But he did not want to be objective, for how could he be? As seemingly emotionless as he was, Data could not accept cold logic in the face of the potential death of the person he cared for most. </p>
<p>Three days had passed since he had last left sickbay. Six days since the accident on the shuttlecraft. Far too long since Geordi had last been awake. All that time had given Data a lot of chance to think about his relationship with Geordi. They had one of the closest and strongest friendships on the ship, Data was certain of this as he had run the calculations many times, much to Geordi's amusement. It had all begun many years ago with two young officers already quite accomplished, who looked at one another and saw something. Geordi had described it as a spark, which Data found rather fitting, as it had been Geordi's mechanical VISOR that had informed Data that Geordi's experience of the world was, in some ways, as unique as his own. Geordi may not literally have glowed from Data's perspective, but he had certainly stood out. Someone truly unique in a sea of already widely varied and individual officers. Data's brain and Geordi's eyes both saw the world exactly as it was, and Data could not fathom a better basis for a friendship than that shared uniqueness of perspective.</p>
<p>Data generally viewed himself to be an unemotional being. And yet, as he thought more and more on the topic, there appeared to be at least one emotion that he had experience with, however abstract. Love.</p>
<p>That may not be quite the name for what he experienced, however, he had all of the symptoms. He cared for Geordi, more than he cared for any other crew member. This could potentially be explained by Geordi's high rank, but there were other lieutenant commanders that Data felt no such added loyalty to, and higher ranking officers Data did not care for more than he cared for Geordi. In fact, Data generally regarded all members of the crew as equally important, as there were only very few occasions where a person's rank mattered more than themselves as individuals. </p>
<p>The extended span of time Geordi and Data had spent together could also be considered as the cause, but there were other crew members that Data had known longer that he did not feel as much affection towards as he did for Geordi. If asked, Data would describe his experience of friendship as becoming used to someone's sensory inputs. This did not seem to explain why his circuits sparked slightly when Geordi smiled at him. </p>
<p>Love. It was a nebulous concept, any time anyone tried to explain it they seemed to give a different answer to everyone else. So perhaps this was Data's version of love. Enjoying someone's presence and missing them when they are gone. Wishing to share experiences with someone. Sharing your dreams with someone. Being strongly motivated to find a solution when they are in danger. Finding someone irreplaceable.</p>
<p>Geordi had faced losing Data before. He had never given up in trying to save him, and that devotion had often times resulted in Data's eventual safe recovery. Data did not know how to save Geordi. Helplessness wasn't a sensation that Data was particularly familiar with, but he found he disliked it, as much as he could dislike anything. </p>
<p>The eventual and inevitable death of all those he cared for had occurred to Data before. While it was not a concept he enjoyed, he had believed that he had come to accept it. He knew that his friends would die, and that he would have to form new relationships, which would also end in death, and that the cycle of life and death would continue for everyone around him as he remained stagnant. He would be a constant in the universe as it forever changed and grew around him. And yet, the idea that the death of his closest friend, the person he loved, would come so soon? It had never occurred to him, and if it had, he would have dismissed it. It was too... painful.</p>
<p>Geordi could not die, not now. They had many years left, if Geordi would have him. Data did not plan to ever leave Geordi. It appeared he loved him too much for that. The two of them had discussed their futures, their plans to remain in Starfleet as long as they could. Perhaps they would command a ship together, though Geordi claimed he'd miss being able to tinker with the warp core all day. And at some point, there would come a time when Geordi would be too old to continue working, and he and Data would retire to a cottage in the Sussex Downs. They would stay together there, doing whatever they pleased, until the end of Geordi's days. Data would grieve, but he would be able to move on, knowing Geordi had lived a full life, that he had been happy.</p>
<p>Geordi would not live forever, but he would live through this. He had to.</p>
<p>"Geordi, do not leave me. Please. I am not ready yet."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Geordi wakes up and they get married and live happily ever after I swear. I wanted to explore a little into how Data feels about death, he's spoken before about knowing that everyone he knows will one day die, but I don't think he's ready for it. He hasn't been around long, so I imagine he sees those deaths as being far in the future, despite what he knows about the dangers of working in Starfleet.</p>
<p>This is part of a little daforge fic dump I'm doing for Valentine's day, so go check out the other stories if you'd like, I promise they're less angsty than this one.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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